


The Chief’s  Ship

by schmulte



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, One Shot, Post Hidden World, kind of a bittersweet ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 12:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmulte/pseuds/schmulte
Summary: The people of New Berk say goodbye to their chief.





	The Chief’s  Ship

**Author's Note:**

> based on a drawing from Seowoo_dailyart from Tumblr

It was a cold and dismal day on New Berk. Gray clouds hung low over the hills, growing darker by the minute as they filled with rain. A storm had been brewing all day, but nothing had come. The winds never picked up and no droplets fell from the sky. It was as if the Gods had known the ceremony that would be taking place that day and didn't want to spoil it. It was a nice thing to think about on a day like this. 

The sickness had come quietly. It started as a stuffy nose, an itchy throat. Then there was the coughing, the fever that never broke, the retching at all hours of the night. The brave and strong chief that the village knew, tamer of dragons, bringer of peace. He was reduced to a shadow of his former self, skin translucent and dark circles dulling his curious green eyes. He spent days slipping in and out of consciousness. It was painful for Astrid to watch, seeing her husband in so much pain. She had stayed by his side through it all, holding his clammy hand and pressing light kisses to his sweat soaked face. She had called the children in during his final moments, the small family crowding around the bed to say their final goodbyes. Zephyr was almost fully grown now- she would take her father's place soon enough. 

Her and Nuffink had said their goodbyes to their father, talking to him and holding his other hand as he slept. He had been barely conscious the whole day. None of his family even knew if he could hear them. But they wanted him to know how loved he was before he left. The children were ushered out by their mother after a while, when it seemed the time was drawing near. She didn't want them to see their father like this. Astrid had kept a hold on his hand and pressed a kiss to the palm, tears spilling from azure eyes as she watched her husband struggle to breathe. 

"Astrid..." 

His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, and his lips cracked as they opened. The chieftess hastily moved to bring a cup of water to his lips, which he drank gratefully. She cleaned his face up when he was done, brushing back the pieces of auburn hair that had stuck to his forehead, now slick with sweat. 

"I'm here, Hiccup." 

"Astrid...I can see the dragons." 

The chief gave a tired smile and closed his eyes fully, as if he were preparing just to fall asleep. Astrid wiped a tear from her cheek and squeezed his hands. 

"Yeah?" 

"Mhm...Toothless isn't here. But I can see Skullcrusher and Cloudjumper." 

The chieftess sniffed and placed a soft kiss to his forehead. Hiccup seemed to enjoy it and hummed quietly. 

"That's...that's great, babe." 

Hiccup relaxed fully now, letting himself relax into the pillows and furs. He was sad to be leaving Astrid, but the dragons were calling to him, and he knew he couldn't stay. The small smile still playing at his lips, the chief gave his wife's hand another squeeze and spoke his final words. 

"I can't wait to fly again." 

Now, standing on the docks, it was impossible for Astrid to keep the memory at bay. Tears threatened to spill down to her cheeks and a lump formed at her throat, but the chieftess needed to be strong today. For her children's sake. At least she could have some peace from the memory, knowing Hiccup was happy in Valhalla. He was with his father now, riding dragons to his heart's content. Stoick would take care of him, Astrid knew, and the thought had reassured her. It had saddened her to think that Toothless would miss the funeral, would never know his best friend had died. But they'd meet again one day, when they were all gone from this earth. And she was willing to wait for it, for now. 

The children had been helping with the preparations. Nuffink had helped Astrid cook and clean the house and get the great hall ready for the feast after, and Zephyr had taken on a more chiefly role, supervising the carpenters and weapons masters. They had taken every detail into account, labored for days to make everything perfect. It still wasn't enough. Nothing could ever be a proper sendoff for the chief who brought peace to the Archipelago and bestowed the people of Berk with the greatest gift they had ever known. Valka had thrown herself into the work too, devastated to know her son for such a short time before he died. Astrid didn't blame her- she'd give everything for just one more day with him. His mother had petitioned the council for marks of honor for her son, and they had no argument against it. A statue of the chief was to be erected next to the one of his father- Hiccup had had it constructed shortly after the official founding of New Berk, and the people saw it right that they stand side by side to watch over the village. A statue of Toothless was to go along side him to honor the friendship they shared. His cloak had been bestowed upon his widow, and she wore it with pride as she stood beside her children. 

The village was gathered on the docks, looking to the three Haddocks for guidance and comfort. Snotlout and Valka stood close to the family, a little ways away but separated from the crowd. They would launch the second set of arrows when the time came. Snotlout was crying unabashedly, just as he had done on his cousin's wedding day, and it made Astrid's heart just a little warm. Fishlegs stood to the right of the family, helmet in his hands and looking downcast. The children were upset at the sight of their father's boat being cast off into the sea, but they did not show it, instead staying strong for their mother and grandmother. Hiccup had been wrapped in a fine blanket, dragon scales stitched into the fabric with great care by helping hands. His helmet-the one that matched his father's-along with Toothless's original red tail were set atop the blanket. It was a perfect representation of the chief- the man with the heart of a viking and the soul of a dragon. 

Fishlegs cleared his throat as they watched the boat sail away. It was a hard day for everyone, and speaking was going to be difficult, especially facing the entire village and his family. 

"May the Valkyries welcome you," he began, voice cracking as he held back tears. "And lead you through Odin's great battle field. May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we may hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla, and known that you've taken your rightful place at the table of kings." 

Astrid picked up her bow and signaled her children to do the same as Fishlegs continued. 

"For a great man has fallen. A peacemaker. A chieftan. A father. A husband. A friend." 

The three haddocks strung their bows and held them over the fire, waiting for the signal. 

"Hiccup taught us everything of what we are today. He changed our way of life. He changed _us_. He made Berk a better place and gave us the gift of our dragons. And when the time came, he made the ultimate sacrifice to keep him safe. I hope the dragons can feel the loss as much as we do so we can mourn together as one. And I hope...I hope that he's flying again in Valhalla. That he's back where he belongs." 

The blonde man gave the nod to the family, and they lit their arrows, pulling back to aim. But Astrid stopped, squinting as she spotted five dark shapes hovering on the horizon. She lowered her bow and held a hand up to halt her children as the unmistakable sound of a roar rippled through the air. 

"Mom...?" Zephyr asked. "What's that noise?" 

The five shapes came closer to the ship now and hovered above it, and it became obvious what they were. Toothless gave a sad warble as he looked down at the boat beneath him, spotting the old red tail his best friend had made for him. The light fury and their children hovered above him, all making agreeing sounds of sadness. Astrid allowed herself to smile as tears streamed down her cheeks, the village looking on in wonder. 

"He came." Astrid whispered. 

Toothless turned to make eye contact with Astrid then, pupils wide and pleading as he gave a small warble. The chieftess knew the question he was asking and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. She re-ignited the arrow and raised her bow, careful to aim where it wouldn't accidentally hit the dragons. She gave Toothless another nod and he breathed flames down onto the ship, his family following suit. Astrid and the children released their arrows at the same time, each hitting the ship and sending more fire to engulf the wood. Valka and Snotlout proceeded after, and the village wasn't far behind. 

Toothless lingered for a while as the crowd began to thin out, watching his best friend disappear in the flames. The three arrows from his family remained, uniting their flames with those from the dragons. And as Astrid looked out at her husband's funeral pyre, burning with flame from both the dragons and his loved ones, she thought back on what the chief would think of the funeral. The boy who had taught her to love and made her into who she was today. The boy who never stopped believing in doing what was right and showed everyone that he was the bravest viking of all. The boy she had married and had two beautiful children. The boy who never stopped loving his best friend, even after they had to separate for good. And Astrid knew, as she looked at the night fury that hovered above Hiccup's ship, that he wouldn't have had it any other way.


End file.
